We love Mexican food. And we mean love. Chips and guac aside, the tastes and aromas of a good Mexican feast are enough to give it “last meal” type status. We’re loving this dinner party-ready Summerland box which includes recipes from one of our favorite local artists and chefs…
We recently put together a special Mexican inspired box with Beatrice Valenzuela – in addition to mom, wife, designer and shop owner, she is also a wonderful cook. Her recipes are inspired and her flavors are bold. Creating a box with Beatrice was the perfect excuse to find our favorite squash blossoms, local goat cheese, and the perfect beans to enjoy with mole sauce.
We came across the farm Two Peas in a Pod and were in awe of their purple, and black speckled, mauve runner beans. They were stunning and tasted as good as they looked.
You can purchase these gorgeous mauve runner beans on our website, by the pound – or enjoy the full Beatrice Valenzuela box with ingredients and recipes for a hearty mole sauce, jalapeno chevre stuffed squash blossoms, shallot relish and roasted squash.
This mole sauce is delicious with any protein, but also makes a wonderful vegetarian meal. In this recipe, we serve it with heirloom purple mauve runner beans, roasted kabocha squash and homemade avocado tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Traditional Mole Sauce with Heirloom Mauve Runner Beans + Roasted Kabocha Squash
INGREDIENTS
4 dried chili peppers (Chipotle, Anaheim, New Mexican)
3 poblano chiles
1 serrano chili (2 if you like things spicy)
1 cup of fresh tomatoes, quartered
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 sprigs of thyme, de-stemmed and chopped finely
2 sprigs of oregano, de-stemmed and chopped finely
2 sprigs of marjoram, de-stemmed and chopped finely
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch of sugar
pepper and salt, as desired
1/2 cup of red wine
1 1/2 cups of broth of your choice
INSTRUCTIONS
For the sauce:
First, roast poblanos in a medium sized skillet for 2 min on each side. Then, soak dried peppers and poblanos in a pot of hot water for 20 minutes.
In a separate skillet, heat olive oil and fry serrano, tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs and cinnamon. Combine these ingredients with the peppers and remaining ingredients, and blend all together. Then let simmer on stove for up to 20 min.
Finally add to your desired meat or beans and simmer for at least 30 min and up to 4 hours. The sauce can be made the day before for a tastier and more delicious result.
*We love this mole served on top of roasted kabocha squash and alongside heirloom beans*
For the squash:
Halve squash, drizzle squash with olive oil and roast in oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until tender. Scoop out seeds from center and fill with mole sauce.
For beans: If you have the time, first soak your beans overnight in a large pot (beans will expand) for about 8 hours in plenty of cool water. Then, in a large pot, simmer beans until tender in plenty of water (as the beans will absorb a good amount of water) until tender, about an hour. For more flavor, you can simmer the beans with a pepper or two, a little salt, and plenty of herbs. Once beans are tender and creamy to taste, turn off heat and let them cool completely in the pot before draining. Depending upon the flavor at this point, you can toss beans with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Finally, serve with mole and enjoy!
